Emerald Sky Read Free Page A

knew it was clear. They had tried to ambush him before and each time they
had failed. Fate was always on his side. There were no others, just this lone
gunman. The man had to be bluffing.
    The appearance of another vision soon
changed Jimmy’s mind as a ghostly foreshadow of his near future ran straight through
him and towards the bomb. This left him with no option other than to take
another step forward, turn and obey his fate.
    Usually, Jimmy would have nothing to fear
from a sniper’s bullet. No matter what, he would always have the element of foresight.
However clean and precise the aim, he would always be able to intuit its
trajectory. This time, however, the shooter knew exactly when and where to make
the perfect shot.
    As Jimmy grasped hold of the blue wire,
the tranquiliser dart hit him squarely in the wrist. He was not even sure if he
had made the required pull as the world around him descended into a haze.
    The last thing he saw was a digital clock
counting down.
    00.04
    00.03
    00.02
    00.01
    ...and then blackness.

 
    Chapter 2
     
     
    She could see she was losing them. Even
the ones who were still looking at the whiteboard had one eye on their phones.
    In a town where the biggest employer was
a potato chip factory, not too many of the kids were interested in theoretical
physics. All they really cared about was gossiping over who was dating whom and
the location of the next after school party. If her success as a teacher was to
be judged solely on what her students took out of her lessons, she was not
really earning her pay-check.
    It had not always been this way. There
was a time, not too long ago, when she could easily have taken up tenure at any
university, not just in the country, but the world. Her chosen field was highly
competitive, but such was the magnitude to which she excelled that she had no
peers. She could effortlessly rewrite any of the standard text books lining the
shelves of her classroom and completely redefine mankind’s understanding of
science in the process. To do this, would, of course, draw a great deal of attention.
As it was, the disinterested reaction of her students was just the kind of
reaction she needed - from everybody.
    When the final bell sounded, she did not
know who was more relieved; her or them. She cast a last feeble reminder about
homework onto deaf ears and then watched as the students shuffled out of her
classroom.
    She was not yet alone, however. One girl
deliberately held back in the doorway, waiting for the others to leave.
    It was Amy Brewster; a bright girl - her
most promising student and one of only a few in the class with the potential to
go on to university after graduation.
    ‘What can I do for you, Amy?’
    The girl clutched her textbooks to her
chest like a comfort blanket, whilst staring awkwardly at her feet.
    ‘Um, er, um...’ her voice mirrored the
rhythmic thrum of a didgeridoo.
    ‘If this is a problem to do with
schoolwork, I’d be happy to give a little extra tuition. And since it’s you,
Amy, I won’t even charge my usual fee.’
    The girl relaxed into a smile.
    ‘Don’t be daft, Miss; nobody would pay
you to teach.’
    ‘You’re right. This isn’t really my job,
you know. I’m actually here because of a court order. Teaching high school kids
is a form of community service. It’s the same with all the teachers at this
school.’
    ‘Even Mr Roberts?’
    ‘Tax fraud.’
    ‘And Miss Andrews?’
    ‘Soliciting.’
    ‘She’s a lawyer?’ Amy displayed a look of
puzzlement.
    ‘Actually, no – that’s a different crime
altogether, but it’s probably best you didn’t get that one. Suffice to say,
she’s bad.’
    ‘And the Headmaster?’
    ‘He fixed the Melbourne Cup. Biggest
betting scam in history – I’m surprised you didn’t read about it.’
    ‘I must have missed it. What about you,
Miss – what did you do?’
    ‘I was caught speeding.’
    ‘Speeding – is that all?’
    ‘What do you mean “is that all”? I was
going